A Night on Bald Mountain
by Shooshkipoo
Summary: Inspired by the Fantasia sequence of the same name. Post 4.22. Sam and Dean are on the hunt for Castiel who has disappeared after rescuing them from the convent. Their search leads them to a ghost town suffering a terrible curse.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, nor do I own Disney's Fantasia. But owning them would be pretty great, as they both rock my world. If you've seen Fantasia, this story will make a bit more sense.

Takes place almost directly after 4. 22. AU I guess, since season 5 hasn't aired yet.

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Dean wasn't quite sure how it happened, but one minute, he and Sam were standing in the convent, being blinded by white light as Lucifer slowly rose from hell and the next, they were both standing beside Ruby's car. Figuring that the best course of action would be get-the-hell-away-from-here and ask questions later, the jumped in the car and drove.

The drive to Bobby's passed in silence, both boys too stunned by the turn of events to speak. Dean registered the fact that Sam had yet to let go of his sleeve. He made no attempt to remove it. Despite of the chaos at hand, a small part of Dean was absolutely thrilled that his little brother needed him for comfort and support once again. It was like a dam broke; Sammy was back and Dean was hoping that the cold, heartless Sam he had known for the last few months was gone for good.

As they pulled into the Singer Salvage Yard, they saw Bobby standing outside, gun poised at the ready. Sam eyed the gun warily, wondering just how angry Bobby was with him. Dean noticed his reluctance and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before stepping out of Ruby's monstrosity of a car.

There was no need for words, not yet. Bobby's eyes widened when we saw Sam, but the expressions on their faces told him all he needed to know. Gesturing for the boys to follow him, Bobby turned and headed towards his panic room. Sam gulped at the sight of the room, remembering the events that happened only hours earlier; the hallucinations, Dean screaming at him, calling him a monster. He had figured by now that Dean hadn't meant what he said in the voicemail, but it didn't stop the incredible fear that was threatening to consume him. _If I walk into a room full of Devil's traps, will I be able to walk out?_ He hadn't realized that he had stopped walking and was visibly trembling until he felt Dean's hand on his arm, gently pulling him forward and saying,

"Easy Sammy, easy. It's ok." He took a few more baby steps until he was just outside the door.

But he couldn't take the final step.

"Please," he whispered, almost begging, "destroy the Devil's trap, please. I don't want-" Bobby didn't understand the full cause of Sam's distress, though Dean did. He clasped both of Sam's shoulders and said very slowly.

"Listen to me, you are not a demon. And you are not evil." Sam tried to believe it, but he couldn't. The demon blood pumping through his veins seemed to drown out Dean's voice. Dean sighed. Bobby, although bewildered, bent down and removed piece of the sigil on the floor. Sam stepped inside, taking great care not to touch the walls. It broke Dean's heart.

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It was almost mind-blowing that anyone managed to sleep, but they did. The room securely locked with a line of salt just outside the door, was without a doubt, the safest place in the world to be. This room was impenetrable, or so they thought.

"Wake uuuuuuuuup!" sang a cheerful female voice, as she ripped Sam and Dean's blankets off.

"What the hell?" grumbled Dean, annoyed at the unorthodox wake-up call.

"You heard me," said the voice again, "Up! Up! I don't have all day." Sam rubbed his eyes,

"Who the hell are you?"

"Tsk tsk, such language." The boys finally managed to get their eyes open and took a look at their visitor. She was a curvy woman looked to be in her twenties, about Dean's height, with long wavy brown hair, and green eyes. She was wearing a t-shirt bearing the legend "Spread love, not war" and jeans.

"Ok, let's try this again," she said, eyeing the boys sternly, "ask me who I am without the profanity please." Sam and Dean exchanged baffled looks, but Sam said uncertainly,

"Please tell us who you are? The woman beamed, clapping her hands.

"Much better! My name is Gabriel." Dean groaned,

"Don't tell me…" Her smile widened, if that were possible,

"Yep! I'm an angel of the Lord." Sam shrank back, fearing the reason for the visit. He was fairly certain that it wasn't a courtesy call. 'Oh God,' Sam thought, 'She's here to kill me isn't she. God probably isn't that happy with me.'

"Aw, Sam Honey, you look like you could use a hug!" Sam and Dean's mouths dropped open.

"I drank demon blood, killed Lilith and freed Lucifer and all you have to say is 'you could use a hug??'" asked Sam incredulously, "Doesn't heaven hate my guts?" Gabriel shook her head,

"Oh Honey, nobody's mad at you!" she paused, "well, some of the angels think you're really stupid for trusting a demon, but they don't hate you!"

"I broke the final seal." Sam repeated slowly. Did this angel not get it? To his amazement, she shrugged,

"So? Dean broke the first one and we still talk to him. Stop worrying about it."

Gabriel clapped Sam on the shoulder genially, not noticing Sam's wince. Dean fought back a smile, remembering how his hand felt after punching Castiel. Gabriel's cheerfulness disappeared and was replaced by a kind maternal tone when she saw Sam's tortured expression.

"Sam, the Lord understands and the Lord forgives. We know you were being duped and wouldn't have done it if you knew." She smiled, "If it makes you feel better, Ruby even had me going for a while. Why do you think we let her live? We honestly thought she was trying to help." Gabriel wrapped her arms around Sam, who stiffened and then relaxed. Dean coughed.

"Anyway, I'm actually here because I have news for you boys. And it ain't good as you can imagine," said Gabriel, standing up.

"Spit it out already," Gabriel bit her lip, not sure how to word this.

"Well, it's about Cas." Dean's eyebrows shot up

"What about him?" he demanded.

"He's missing."

Dean jaw dropped,

"What do you mean missing? He's not dead?" Gabriel held her hands up,

"Look, all I know is that Castiel was going to the convent to save you guys. We know he made it there, but we don't know where he is now. We're afraid that Lucifer has taken him captive." At the look on Dean's face she added, "We can sense when one of our own has been killed. Castiel is still alive, but we have no way of finding him. He must be dealing with one scary son of a gun."

"And you have no leads at all?" asked Sam. Gabriel, closed her eyes; listening intently to a voice that neither Winchester could hear.

"Russia," she whispered, placing a hand on her temple, "a mountain…there's a town at the base of it." She winced and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know anything else."

"We're going to Russia, Sam." Gabriel nodded her approval, as did Sam.

"Gather everything you have and pack it in your car. Dean looked at her questioningly.

"I have to get you to Russia don't I? It'll be much easier if I only have to make one trip."

A loud snore from Bobby reminded them all that he had somehow managed to sleep through all this. Sam and Dean looked at their sleeping friend. Bobby was tough, but this was the end of the world and neither brother really liked the idea of leaving him alone.

"After I drop you two off, I'll come back and stay with him." said Gabriel quietly, as though reading their thoughts. Dean smiled gratefully and began gathering his things.

Gabriel circled the car a few times, eyeing it carefully.

"What?" asked Dean, confused.

"Just gathering my energy," she answered. Gabriel stopped directly in front of the car, closed her eyes and began chanting in Latin. She raised her arms and the boys found themselves and the Impala enveloped with golden light. Gabriel opened her eyes, now glowing white. With one swift clap, both she and the Impala vanished.

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They reappeared on an empty road beside what seemed like an endless forest. Gabriel fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

"Are you alright?" asked Sam, kneeling beside her.

"Yeah," she panted, "that just took a lot out of me." Straightening up and brushing off her knees, Gabriel said,

"Ok boys, see what you can accomplish here, I'll come and find you if I learn anything more." She turned to leave.

"Wait," said Dean, a thought striking him.

"I thought Castiel was a rogue now. He disobeyed orders. I thought that was the unforgivable sin of angels. So, why do you want us to find him?" Gabriel fixed him with a long piercing look, all humour gone from her lovely face. Dean shifted under her gaze; it felt like he was being X-rayed. Finally she spoke,

"Isn't it obvious?" Dean said nothing. "He's my brother." There was a gust of wind and then she was gone, leaving the boys alone on a barren Russian road.

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A/N: Shall I continue? Have I piqued your interest? If so, please let me know by hitting the cute little review button! Thanks!

-Shooshkipoo


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or Fantasia. I technically don't own Gabriel either, but whatever.

Thanks to jenny and JuliaAurelia for the reviews! jenny: I've never seen Constantine, but I'm happy you think it's different, I was hoping it would be.

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**Recap**_**:**__ Sam and Dean are visited by an angel named Gabriel who sends them to Russia in search for Castiel, who has gone missing._

Dean was silent for a few seconds, taking in Gabriel's reasoning. _Isn't it obvious?_ She had said. It hadn't been. Dean had never thought of it that way; it made him slightly sick, especially since Castiel himself had referred to other angels as brothers and sisters. For not the first time, Dean wished he knew the exact moment that things changed between him and Sam. But that didn't matter anymore, Dean told himself firmly, the only thing that mattered now was finding Castiel and rebuilding the bond that he and his brother had once shared.

Upon realizing that Gabriel had neglected to point them in the way of the nearest town, Sam and Dean made an educated guess on which way to go- Rock, Paper, Scissors; Dean go north, Sam go south. Packing themselves into the Impala once again, the boys headed south, hoping to see something more than trees.

They weren't disappointed, about an hour down the road; they reached a small town.

"Ko-pahn-ska-yaa" said Dean, "Wow, Russia has way more interesting names for things that we do!" Sam just rolled his eyes. They drove through, searching for a motel. As they searched, a thought occurred to Dean;

"Sammy, we've got American money. And I don't speak Russian." Sam resisted the urge to smack his brother on the head.

"They speak English, you moron."

For a small town, finding a motel that looked affordable was surprisingly difficult. But after possibly an hour and a half of searching, they found one. Sam groaned inwardly at the name; he hoped Dean was too tired to try and pronounce it.

"Kraaaas-no-dor-skee-yi kraaay." He wasn't.

"Stay here." said Sam, getting out of the car.

"Why?" asked Dean indignantly.

"Because I have to figure out what to do about our money problem and if you try and 'speak Russian' to them, it might not go over well." Dean raised an eyebrow,

"They speak English, you moron." He replied with a cocky smirk. Sam just gave him The Look before heading inside. Sam had his back turned, so Dean didn't see the small smile that was tugging on Sam's lips.

Inside was almost deserted. It then occurred to Sam that it was probably about two or three in the morning. The desk clerk; a big burly man with a mustache; looked like he rather wanted to kill Sam for checking in this late.

"Hello," he said nervously, "I need a room for two, please." The man grunted.

"Just for one night?" he asked, in thick Russian accent.

"Yes," another grunt,

"That'll be 996 rubles." Sam gulped,

"About that," he started to say, but he was cut off.

"How much did you say it was?" asked Dean, cheerfully.

"996 rubles." The clerk answered, eyeing them both warily.

"Here you go." Dean slapped a number of bills and coins on the counter. Sam's eyes almost bugged out of his head. The clerk slapped their key on the counter and walked away.

They found their room easily; and the room was pretty nice, considering this was the sleaziest motel they could find. But finally Sam couldn't help but ask,

"Dean, where'd you get all that?" Dean shrugged,

"I opened my wallet and all my money had gone Russian." Sam sent a silent thanks up to Gabriel. Stripping down to his boxers, Dean flopped down on the bed closest to the door. Sam did the same, but with a bit more grace. True to form, he took out his laptop and began typing. Dean, knowing that when Sam was in what he liked to call "geek-mode", that he wouldn't be very much help. So, he did the only thing he could; rolled over and drifted off to sleep, silently praying that Sam would find a lead.

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Dean's slumber was anything but restful; for the first time in months, he dreamt of his time in hell; flashes of red light, the smell of fear and blood, and the never ending chorus of tormented screams. Dean's eyes snapped open; his head was killing him. He sat up, putting two fingers on his temples when the headache increased.

"Sammy," he croaked, Sam looked up from the computer.

"You alright?" Before Dean could answer, the headache became a migraine over the span of two seconds. He gasped, clutching at his head and squeezing his eyes shut. The screams began again and he opened his eyes and turned to Sam. But Sam was gone.

Instead, there was a giant, ominous looking mountain, surrounded by a greenish haze. A pair of cruel yellow eyes glowed in the darkness. Then the scene was engulfed by flames, the screams grew louder and louder. There were bodies, thousands of them, strung up with chains and hooks like Dean once had been all screaming in agony. But one voice stood out from all the others; calling out for help, begging for mercy, crying for someone to find him; screaming for Dean. The fire cleared just enough to show one lone body, dangling over a pit of fire, his head hanging limply. A cruel laugh filled the air, and Castiel lifted his head; blood dripping from his mouth and nose. His normally bright blue eyes were glassy and unfocused. His face contorted with pain and the screams began again.

Dean gasped, and suddenly he was back in the motel room, Sam kneeling by his side and grasping his shoulders. It took Dean a moment to realize that he was on the floor, one hand holding his head and the other clenched to Sam's shirt.

"Dean!" Sam's voice was urgent, "Dean, what happened?"

"Cas," Dean whispered

"Cas?" Dean nodded weakly,

"I think I just had one of those freaky-ass premonitions like you used to." Sam's eyes widened,

"Dean, what did you see?"

Still breathing heavily, he said slowly,

"Sammy, I think Cas is in Hell." Sam's jaw dropped, "I saw the mountain. And everyone was screaming and I saw Castiel, hanging by chains and everything was burning…" Dean shuddered, remembering the deadened look in his angel's eyes. That thought alone terrified him more than anything. Sam bit his lip, unsure of what to say,

"But why would you have a vision of Cas? Did he send it to you somehow?"

"Castiel did not send that vision." Both boys snapped their heads up to see Gabriel standing in the room, arms crossed and looking mutinous.

"You did not witness that for any good reason Dean," Gabriel's voice was barely more than a hiss.

"Whoever sent you that vision is toying with you. He knows you're looking for Castiel. And he wants you to find him."

"And you still don't have any idea who is doing this?"

"NO!" Gabriel snarled ferociously, causing Sam to flinch back. Gabriel took a few breaths, and slowly her anger faded to anguish.

"I can feel his pain like it's my own," she whispered miserably. "This demon is taunting us; he knows that I can't see him." She put a hand over her mouth and turned away. Dean stood.

"We're going to find him. And we are going to kill the son-of-a-bitch for doing this to him." Gabriel turned around, her green eyes shining with tears.

"Don't you understand?" she asked in a choked voice, "apart from the angels, you boys are the biggest threat against Hell. This demon is using Cas as bait. He wants to lure you there so he can capture you and make you suffer the same fate. And not even I would be able to find you." Sam stood too. He and Dean exchanged looks.

"We don't care." Sam finally said. "Castiel doesn't deserve this, and if we can help him,"

"Then God knows we will." finished Dean. Gabriel looked at the boys in wonder.

"Thank you," she whispered, "but boys, you have to understand; this thing is so powerful that it's managed to cloak itself completely. Even when the witch was trying to raise Samhain, we still at least knew the town. But now, all I can do is narrow it down to a country!"

"Then we'll search the entire damn country if we have to." said Dean. "I'm not giving up." Sam nodded his agreement.

Gabriel looked at the boys, torn. She wanted nothing more than her brother back; but she couldn't let these two boys just throw their lives away and suffer an eternity in Hell after all they'd done. But another look told her that they would not be persuaded. Placing a hand on their shoulders, she bowed her head

"God help you," she murmured, before vanishing.

Miles away, the demon smiled to itself. Without the Winchesters, the powers of Heaven would soon fall. And then the apocalypse would truly begin.

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A/N: As usual, please drop me a review! If you aren't mad at me yet, you will be in time.

-Shooshkipoo


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable in this story.

Thank you JuliaAurelia for reviewing and thank you Kyla for your lovely feedback 

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It took all the restraint Dean had not to pack up that instant and return to his search for Castiel. But Sam had managed to convince him to sleep by reminding him that no libraries were open, nor was there anyone to interview at this hour. So Dean lay his head down and drifted back into dreamless slumber.

Nevertheless, the Winchesters didn't rest long. They were downstairs ready to check out within half an hour of being awake. But not even Dean could deny that he was starving, so they stayed for breakfast.

"Go over the vision again," Dean closed his eyes and tried to remember everything

"It's a mountain, with an old looking village at the base of it. The mountain is huge and at night it was surrounded by this green mist." Sam furrowed his eyebrows,

"Ok, so we need to find a library and find what mountains have villages by them. Then we'll narrow it down by searching up known haunted spots,"

"Bald Mountain,"

The boys whipped their heads around to face an old man, sitting one table over and smoking a pipe.

"Sorry?" asked Sam politely

"Yer tryin to find a haunted village at th' base of a mountain. Yer lookin fer Bald Mountain."

"What do you know about it?" Dean demanded. The man took the pipe out of his mouth and gave a wheezy chuckle,

"Only that it's the most haunted place in Russia. That village is a ghost town, over-ridden by evil. Some say that the mountain itself is a gateway to hell. Those that spend the night are never seen again. Not alive anyway."

"How far is it?" asked Sam, trying to contain himself. The man smiled,

"A good seven hour drive north from here," The boys exchanged looks

"Thank you sir," Sam and Dean got up and left, leaving some money to pay for their partially eaten meals.

Stopping only to buy a map, the boys sped off towards this supposed haunted mountain.

"Man, I really hope that guy was telling the truth," murmured Sam. Dean nodded,

"Me too Sammy, me too," Dean pressed his foot on the pedal, his thoughts on Castiel.

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"Thanks for breakfast, Olga" said the old man, getting up from his table

"Bye Mr. Stromboli!" returned the smiley waitress. Stromboli walked out the door and down the street. When he was out of sight of the motel, he ducked into an alley. Unseen by anyone, Mr. Stromboli's eyes flipped to black, just before he threw back his head and screamed, sending a huge cloud of black smoke into the air. Mr. Stromboli fell to the ground, dead.

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The seven hours passed all too slowly for both brothers. But to their relief, they didn't run into any traffic problems. Although, Sam noted, this road seemed a little bit _too_ quiet.

"We're here Sammy." said Dean, his voice tense. Sam looked, and sure enough, coming up was a sign, looming over their heads reading "Bald Mountain Ville". Taking a deep breath, Dean drove the Impala over the town border.

The old man hadn't been kidding; the only way Sam could think of to describe this place was 'ghost town'. The tiny little cottages had pointed roofs, the shingles flaking off. Despite being late afternoon, the streets were barren, the wind whistling as though to emphasize this. But even the houses looked empty, no lights on, no smoke coming from the chimneys, nothing. The Impala crept down the cobbled road slowly, while Sam and Dean kept their eyes out for even one sign of life. Even the sky was a musky grey; everything about this town seemed dead. Sam shuddered as they passed a considerably large cemetery, with a gallows standing in the centre. Some of the graves were simple, but some were elaborate statues of soldiers.

They kept driving. When they reached the town's edge, Dean realized there was a river separating the village from the mountain. He looked up at it, so tall that he couldn't see the top. But he couldn't deny the sudden chill that enveloped him. He shook himself and reversed the car away from the river. So they continued searching the town when suddenly a little girl ran out of nowhere, directly into their path.

"Dean!" Sam shouted. Dean slammed on the brakes, the Impala screeching to a halt. Sam quickly got out of the car and knelt down beside the girl. She looked to be about seven or eight years old, but was still clutching a teddy bear, here brown eyes wide and frightened.

"Are you ok?" asked Sam. The little girl nodded, clutching her bear even more tightly.

"Are you lost?" She nodded again.

"What's your name?" She blinked her eyes,

"Valentina" she answered in a small voice.

"Ok, my brother and I are going to help you find your parents. Alright?" Valentina nodded, taking Sam's hand and following him to the car.

Dean didn't ask when Sam plopped the girl into the back seat.

"You shouldn't run into the streets like that, you know. You could get hurt." Valentina didn't answer Dean; she just blinked at him. So off they went. It took about ten minutes for them to find the little girl's house. She had scared them both to death by shrieking 'There!' after being silent for the entire trip.

A large woman with curly white hair and an apron hurried out of the house,

"Valentina! Valentina! Are you alright?" she was followed by her equally large husband. The woman rushed up to her daughter and hugged her tightly before standing up and shaking the hands of both boys enthusiastically.

"Thank you, thank you for bringing my daughter home. I am Renata, this is my husband Artur"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sam and this is my brother Dean," said Sam, trying to hide a wince; Renata had one strong grip. He paled slightly when Artur stepped forward for a handshake as well.

"Please come inside, and let us repay you for helping our Valentina," Artur's voice was deep, and he spoke with a thick accent.

"Thank you, but," Dean started, but Renata cut him off.

"We insist!" Then, casting an eye over the street, she leaned in, lowering her voice, "Trust me, you don't want to be out on these streets for long, it gets dangerous around here." So the Winchesters followed the family inside.

The kitchen was dimly lit by three lanterns hanging on the walls.

"Please sit," said Renata, gesturing to the small wooden table. Sam, Dean and Artur made small talk while Renata cooked dinner. Valentine just sat and blinked. When she finished, Sam looked out the window and noted that it was getting dark

"So, tell me," He asked casually, "what did you mean that it gets dangerous around here?" Renata and Artur both froze.

"Valentina," said Artur, quietly but forcefully, "go get ready for bed." The girl got up and went upstairs without a word. Renata stood and started gathering up the dishes, her mouth a tight-lipped line.

"This town is cursed," she whispered. "Every night, _he_ arises and wreaks havoc on the village. Anybody caught outside gets spirited away to God knows where."

"So you're quite lucky we invited you inside," said Artur, standing and bolting the door shut.

"Who is 'he'?" asked Dean.

"Oh you'll meet him soon enough Sam and Dean Winchester," said Artur, turning around, his eyes solid black.

"Our master has been just _dying_ to meet you," added Renata, her eyes also glittering ebony. At her words, and eerie wind picked up outside, wailing loud enough for the boys to hear.

"It's starting!" Renata cackled, than she lunged.

**TBC**

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A/N: Don't worry; next chapter is when the action starts.

Shooshkipoo


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable. Same old, same old.

Thanks to those who reviewed! I appreciate it!

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Dean managed to duck out of Renata's path, but Sam wasn't so lucky. She grabbed his throat, lifting him off the ground. Dean moved to help him, but was intercepted by Artur. With a growl, Artur delivered a powerful punch to Dean's face, sending him crashing to the ground. Sam, choking for air, tried to raise his hand exorcize Renata, but she grabbed his wrist and twisted it.

"None of that, Psychic Boy," she hissed. Sam's eyes rolled back into his head, his vision beginning to cloud over.

Dean stumbled backwards as Artur punched him in the face again. Panting, he wiped his nose, streaking blood across his face. He and Artur circled each other, never breaking eye contact. With a snarl, Artur lunged but Dean was ready. He plunged Ruby's knife into Artur's chest and jerked it upwards. Artur gasped, blood pouring from the wound. Renata's expression was one of shock. In one moment, her grip slackened and Sam greedily sucked in what little air he could. Then he saw the blood.

Sam went rigid, his eyes locked on the gushing blood that seemed to thunder in his ears as it splashed on the floor. _No…no. _He closed his eyes, tried to block out the noise, but the smell reached his nose and Sam instinctively inhaled, shuddering. His vision instantly cleared and with a sudden burst of energy, he lashed out at Renata throwing her back and pinning her to the opposite wall. Her ebony eyes were wide and apprehensive as Sam advanced, pupils dilated and panting with hunger. For the first time, since she had left hell, Renata felt fear. Sam's eyes were devoid of emotion, there were only anger and an inextinguishable hunger.

"Sam stop!" Sam turned to face Dean, his chest heaving. He regarded his brother for a moment, the sound of pulsing blood pounding in his ears. Sam's jaw clenched when he realized that the pulsing blood that was enticing him wasn't Rentata's. He stepped towards Dean; it was Dean's blood he wanted. No sooner had this realization hit him when Sam jerked backwards, putting a hand to his temple and shaking his head as though trying to clear it. Dean eyes him apprehensively, and almost collapsed with relief when the scared eyes that met his were hazel.

"Dean," Sam choked, covering his mouth. The smell of Artur's blood was overpowering.

"S'alright Sammy, I'll do it." said Dean soothingly. Sam smiled weakly, looking at Renata who was still pinned to the wall. Dean strode forward, the knife clenched in his fist. Sam turned away and winced when he heard Renata gasp as the knife speared her chest. She slid to the floor with a soft thump and lay motionless.

Dean looked at his younger brother with concern; Sam seemed unable to look at Renata. Unable to look at him. Dean reached out and hesitantly placed a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder. Sam flinched at the touch, his eyes shooting open.

"You gonna be ok Sammy?" Sam, who still hadn't quite regained his ability to speak, nodded shakily. They boys didn't have long to enjoy their moment of peace: Valentina had come back downstairs.

Valentina's eyes traveled over the corpses of her parents.

"M-mama," Valentina's eyes filled with tears and her lip trembled. "P-p-papa," Sam and Dean exchanged looks, not sure what to make of the little girl.

"We didn't have a choice," Dean tried to explain; "they were possessed." But Valentina didn't seem to be listening.

"You…_killed_ my parents! I'll kill you!" Right before their eyes, Valentina shuddered as her bones began to rearrange themselves. Her skin turned scaly green, wings jutted out of her back. The harpy screeched, rising up on two legs with horribly sharp-taloned feet. She towered over even Sam. Launching herself off the ground, the harpy beat her wings, creating a fierce wind that lifted the brothers off their feet.

The wind whipped Sam's hair into his face, blocking his vision. He groped blindly for Dean. When his fist grasped his big brother's sleeve, he held on for dear life. The whirlwind threw the boys out onto the street. But they weren't safe yet. The harpy swooped, catching Dean's cheek as she passed. Sam positioned himself in front of Dean, ready to fight the harpy, but the next attack never came. Sam knelt down next to his brother.

"You ok?"

"Peachy!" snapped Dean, clutching his cheek. Sam fought the urge to smile, relishing in the fact that even though the devil had risen and the apocalypse was approaching that Dean was still Dean.

"Sam," Sam was disturbed from his train of thought when Dean spoke. "Look," The sky above them was alight with the glow of spirits rising from their graves and taking flight. But there weren't just spirits; there were skeletons, harpies, and ghostly soldiers riding skeletal horses. And all of them were spiraling skyward towards the fiery mountain peak. They seemed oblivious to the brother's presence, for the moment.

Suddenly, a shadow fell upon them, plunging them into almost complete darkness. Then it was chaos. The spirit army was upon them in a matter of seconds. They attacked with a vengeance, a mess of swords and claws. Sam and Dean tried desperately to fight back, but they only had two shotguns and Ruby's knife in the way of weaponry. Sam aimed his gun at one of the harpies and fired. The harpy managed to evade the blast and lunged forward, plunging her talons into Sam's shoulders.

"Dean!"

"Sammy, hang on!" The army swarmed on Dean, more coming faster than he could blast them out of the way. Dean watched helplessly as the harpy carried Sam away, up the mountain and out of sight.

Then there was peace. Just as suddenly as they attacked, they dispersed; resuming their journey up the mountain. Dean watched them go, panting with exhaustion and furious with himself. _They want me to go up that mountain. They want me to try and rescue Sam and Cas. Gabriel was right._ Dean felt horribly guilty; Gabriel had warned them of the danger, and now Sam was paying the price for it. _No. _Dean stormed over to his car and began loading the guns with fierce determination. _I lost Sam once; I'm not losing him again._

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Sam woke up in a stone cave. He tried to stand before realizing that he was chained to the wall. He slumped against the wall, trying to calm down. He didn't have long.

"Hey Sam, long time no see." Sam looked around wildly, trying to locate the source of the voice.

"You're so cute when you're confused." A girl with long brown hair stepped out of the shadows, wearing a smirk that was all too familiar to Sam.

"Ruby." He growled.

"Sharp as always."

"How are you still alive? Dean killed you." Sam smiled, "And I helped him do it," he added with satisfaction. Ruby laughed and knelt down in front of him.

"Please, Lucifer gave me that knife. You don't think he can reverse the effects? I'm the one who set him free after all. No wait," she smirked "that was you."

"You bitch!" Ruby cocked her head to the side.

"Still trying to blame me, are you? Still can't accept the fact that you betrayed Dean and drank demon blood all on your own? Like I said before, I gave you the choice and you picked it every single time." Sam's breathing grew ragged, he wanted nothing more than to break free and pummel Ruby's smug face.

"You're a monster Sam, and you can deny it all you want. But we both know that you secretly loved drinking the blood. Loved how it made you feel." Sam turned his face away from her, trying to control his rage.

"No," he managed to say, "You're wrong." Ruby leaned in until their faces were only inches apart.

"I wonder, what would Dean say if he found out that his precious little brother was so far from human, that he wanted to kill him and drink him dry?" Before Sam could reply, Ruby had vanished, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

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Climbing the mountain was not easy; especially with the demonic wind threatening to tear him lose. But Dean wouldn't stop until he had both Castiel and Sam back. Even if it killed him. Hearing the screech of the harpies, Dean pressed himself against the stone wall, trying to shield himself in a small crevice. The less freaky beings with sharp talons, the better. Forcing himself to remain silent, Dean watched the harpies fight each other, slashing with their talons and attempting to snap each other's wings. One harpy flew straight down and captured something in her talons. Dean's stomach clenched when he watched the thing, whatever it was, flailing pitifully in the harpy's clutches before it was dropped hundreds of feet to its death. Praying to God that hadn't happened to Sam, Dean kept climbing. He still had a long way to the very top, but with a grunt, he pulled himself up onto a sturdy looking ledge and was horrified by what he saw.

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A/N: Tell me what you think? Please?

Shooshkipoo


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural. Give it time though, give it time.

Thank you JuliaAurelia and Kyla for being faithful reviewers! I appreciate it!

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The cave was almost completely in shadow, the silence broken by the occasional muffled whimper.

"Sam?" Dean eyed the cave apprehensively; something was wrong. His gaze rested on a figure, back against the wall, beaten and bloody with his head bowed.

"Dean," the figure mumbled.

"Oh thank God," whispered Dean, hurrying over to his brother and kneeling down beside him.

"Stay away." The words were barely more than a whisper, but they rang loud and clear.

"What are you talking about Sam?" Dean reached up to try and remove the chains, but Sam flinched away.

"Don't touch me!" he snarled, "Just get away!" Now Dean was annoyed.

"Why would I do that?" Sam didn't answer; he just turned his face away even further from Dean's. Not sure how to read his silence, Dean went to try and remove the chains again, but to his astonishment, they fell away on their own. Dean scrambled back instinctively, now more certain than ever that something was not right.

"Sam," asked Dean slowly, "why did the chains just set you free?" Sam groaned, looking at his shaking hands.

"Cus," whispered Sam as though ashamed, "I've been waiting for you." Sam turned and looked Dean fully in the face and it took all Dean's strength not to recoil. Sam's eyes were almost completely black, the corners veined with red. In combination with the blood streaking down his face and the thirsty expression he wore, Dean almost didn't recognize the man standing before him.

"Dean, please," Sam pleaded, "Just leave me, and get out of here." Sam involuntarily stepped towards his brother. Dean stood his ground.

"I'm not leaving."

"You idiot!" Sam burst out so suddenly and fiercely that Dean stepped back. "You really don't understand how much danger you're in? You've got no idea what I'm capable of, the things I want to do…" he trailed off panting, his eyes glinting in the light. Dean said nothing.

Sam took another shaky step forward, limbs twitching, and his head leaning slightly to the side. His eyes widened when he heard Dean's heart picking up speed.

"Dean," he whispered again "I'm dangerous. Especially to you." He leaned his head slowly to the other side, his neck cracking as he did.

"Even now, I can hear your blood pumping through your veins. I can smell the blood," he paused, "and I smell fear. It's…" he stopped again and inhaled deeply. "Please, if you still care about me at all, you've got to kill me." This brought Dean back to speech.

"We've been through this before, Sam. I couldn't kill you then, and I can't do it now." Sam advanced, picking up speed,

"You have to kill me, before I kill you. I can't control it! I'm thirsty all the time, you have no idea." Dean backed away from him and then stopped. Sam was only a few feet away.

"Can't I just make you a cranberry milkshake instead?" Sam didn't smile. "You're not a murderer Sam. I know that."

"You don't know me." Before Dean could answer, Sam punched him in the face, knocking him off his feet.

Dean got back to his feet, but only seconds later, Sam punched him again. Again and again, but Dean wouldn't raise a hand to defend himself. Sam punched and kicked, growing more ferocious with every swing. Finally, Dean fell to the ground, clutching his broken ribs.

"I tried to warn you Dean," panted Sam miserably, "I told you to get out while you still could." He dropped to his knees and pulled the knife out of Dean's jacket. Dean's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't move. Sam rolled up Dean's sleeve and drew the knife across his skin, almost experimentally. As the scent of Dean's blood rushing to the surface, reached Sam, his eyes turned completely black, the sound of pulsing pounding maddeningly in his ears, blocking out all rational thought. Slowly, Sam lowered his lips to Dean's arm and began to drink.

Dean stayed still, letting his brother drink. He couldn't move anyway, because Sam had him pinned, but he was frozen in denial. This was not his brother. His brother was the six-foot infinity, shaggy haired geek who needed his big brother around. His brother was not a monster. As if Sam could hear his thoughts, he drew away. Sam looked into Dean's eyes, hoping to see something that would make him stop. But all he saw was meat. Ignoring the look of betrayal in Dean's eyes, Sam took the knife and drew it cleanly across Dean's throat. The sound of Dean's choking was like music to his ears. He wanted more, more.

Sam took a final gulp and smiled. The pounding in his ears was gone. But it was replaced by the sound of a girl laughing.

"Every single time," she seemed to say. Sam froze. Standing up and swaying drunkenly on the spot, Sam stumbled to a puddle of water on the cave floor and stared at his reflection. He bit back a scream when he saw his demonic eyes and his face, streaked with blood- his brother's blood. Sam stomach contracted horribly and he slashed desperately at his reflection. As he attacked his image, the black receded to hazel, and with that, memories began to return. He turned slowly on the spot, hoping that he was dreaming, praying that he hadn't-

Dean's body lay spread-eagled on the dirty stone floor, dried blood mingling with dirt, his eyes still wide with disbelief.

"Oh God…" Sam dropped to his knees, hands gripping his hair, "No, no, no," whispering this to himself, over and over again, Sam crawled to his brother's body, taking in the knife wounds, the slit throat, the red blood that coated his hands. Sam clenched his eyes shut, hoping again that when he opened them, this would all have turned out to be a nightmare. He opened them. Dean was still dead. Dean, the cocky, porn-loving man who had endured so much, was now lying in the dirt. Tears began to fall, searing his face, but he didn't care. And he made no attempt to stop them. All he knew in that moment was that he himself, had taken the life of the one person who had always been there for him, stuck by him, sacrificed everything for him.

Very gently, as though handling a delicate antique, Sam put his hand under the base of Dean's neck and pulled him up. Other hand shaking, Sam closed Dean's glassy eyes. Then he wrapped his arms around his brother, cradling him to his chest and sobbed.

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**TBC**

A/N: Hate me yet? Let me know!

Shooshkipoo


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